Interfolding-machine



G. H. BARTLETT. INTERFOLDENG MAC-PUNK.

- APPLICATION mm MAY s. 2919. 1,347,242. Patented ly 2 19 3 SHEETSSHEETI.

INVENTOR G. H. BARTLETT.

FNTERFOLDING MACKINL APPLICATION FILED an 5. m0.

Puma July 20, 1920.

3 ammu er t- INVENTOR Qeoryfiflkz'fielf ATTORNEY5 G. H. BARTLETT.INTERFOLDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED M-AYS, 1919.

1,347,242. Patented July 20, 1920.

3 SHEETSSHEET a. 1& s M

50 E96 4'? M 7 A 11 v I j l v '33 Z INVENTO'R orgeflfiarl efi- ATTORNEYSUNITED STATES GEORGE H. BARTLETT, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

INTERFOLDlQN'G-MACI-IINE.

Application filed May 5, 1919.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, GE RGE H. BARTLETT, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city, and county of San Francisco and State ofCalifornia, have invented new and useful Improvements inInterfoldingllachines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an interfolding machine, and particularlypertains to a machineby which interfolded towels may be formed.

Due to the fact that interfolded paper towels have become quitegenerally used and that the machinery now employed in perfo; rating andfolding these towels is very eX pensive and cumbersome,it is theprincipal object of the present invention to provide a device by whichrolls of towel blank may be fed through a. machine and perforated atequal intervals therealong as fed and thereafter folded in interleavedrelation to each other to be usedv indispensingreceptacles.

. The present inventioncontemplates the use of' a rigid main frame,within which are journaled a plurality of spindles, geared togethersothat they will rotate in synchronism. and carrying suitableperforating and folding members between which the paper blank may be fedand be perforated and in terfolded. r

The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanyingdrawing, in which Figure 1 is a view in plan illustrating the completelyassembled machine and clearly showing the arrangement of the perforatingand folding element.

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective, disclosing a fragmentary portion of twotowel blanks as they are perforated and in the position. in which. theywill be folded.

Fig. 3 1s a view in side elevation, showing the papertowels asinterleaved.v V

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view, showing the cooperative relation of theperforating rolls tothe folding element and: the means for in suring apositive drive of the towel blanks therethrough.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in central section through the folding rolls,showing the mannerin which they are formed to receive thetowel-conveying members and. the manner in which they cotiperativelyrotate.

Fig. Gis aview in section and elevation,

showing theperforating roll and the blades carried thereby.

Specification 01 Letters Patent.

'port the rollers 15 and Patented July 20, 1920.

Serial No. 294,751.

F ig'. 7 is a fragmentary view in section, disclosing the manner ofoperation of the perforating blade.

Fig. 8 is a view in perspective, disclosing one of the perforatingblades.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 and 11 disclose paralleland vertical frame members, which are rigidly connected by means ofhorizontal frame members 12 and 13. The member 18 is secured between thevertical members 10 and-11 at a point near the floor, while the member12 is secured in a similar position, in superimposed relation to thepart 13, and carries a number of reinforcing and bearing brackets, uponwhich the various rotating elements of the mechanism are supported. Therear vertical frame member 11 is provided with an eX- tension bracket 1%which carries a pair of feed rollers 15 and 1 6. These feed rollers arepositioned with their rotating axes in horizontal alinement and sodisposed as to sup- 16 in a slightly spaced relation to each other.These rollers thus form an opening or throat through which paper blanksmay be fed from a pair of magazine rolls 1? and 18.

The threat formed between the feed rolls 15 and 16 is substantiallymidway the height of the machine andlies in the operating plane thereof.Disposed at equal distances above and. below the operating plane areperforating wheels 19 and 20. These wheels are mounted upon spindles 21and 22 which are suitably journaled in the vertical frame member 11.Directly above the perforating roller 19 is a secondary perforatingroller 24, while directly below the perforating roller 20 is a similarroller 25. These rollers cooperate with the complementary perforatingrollers to form a series of perforations through the two parts of apaper blank and to extend substantially the full width of the paper, itbeing desirable in the present manufacture of paper toweling to leave acertain width of the toweling unperforated, so that the towel blankswill be one continuous piece as itis fed through the machine.

Mounted upon spindles 26 and 27, carried in journals upon the verticalframe member 10, and disposed in equal position upon opposite sides ofthe horizontal operating plane of'the machine, are folding rollers and29. These rollers are formed with a plurality of blades extendinglongitudinally of their cylindrical faces. These blades or teeth, asindicated at 30 on the two rolls, intermesh with each other to fold thetwo paper blanks in interleaved relation, as will presently'bedescribed. 3

The folding rollers 28 and 29 are adapted to be simultaneously driven bya suitable driving member and to rotate in unison with each other, dueto the fact that their gears 31 and 32 are in constantly meshingposition. These gears are operated synchronously with gears and 3a whichare secured upon the spindles of the perforating rollers 19, 20, 2a and25. By this means it is intended that all of the rollers, bothperforating and folding, shall operate in synchronism, as the towelingis fed therethrough.

The toweling might be fed by conveyer elements 35 and 36. The elements36 are led around the perforating rollers 19 and 20, while the elements35 are led around the perforating rollers 2 1 and 25. As moreparticularly shown in Figs. 5 and 6, it will be seen that theperforating and folding rollers are both fitted with circumferentialgrooves into which the various roller elements 36 and may feed. Theseelements are preferably in the form of coils or steel tapes and leadaround the perforating rollers and the folding rollers. I

Referring particularly to Fig. 1 of the drawing, it will be seen thatthe conveyer members are led around the grooves 1n the folding rollersand then passed toward the passage formed in part by spring fingers ofthe machine to thereafter pass over vidler pulleys 37 which are carriedupon upper and lower brackets 38 formed as'a part of the vertical framemember 11. From these pulleys the conveyers 35 are led around thepulleys 15 and 16 which form the throat of the machine, after which thecables pass around the perforating rolls 19 and 20 and then return tothe folding rolls. The conveyer elements 36 pass around the perforatingrolls 19 and then around idler pulleys 39 which are carried in suitablebearings upon the frame portion 12.

' 'In order that a predetermined tension may be exerted upon theconveyer members at alltimes, various pulleys 40 are disposed atconvenient points upon the horizontal frame members and may be adjustedby means of a setgage 11, acting in a slot 12. By operation of thesepulleys the tension may be changed as desired and will thus insure thatthe paper blanks will be securely gripped as they pass between thevarious rolls of the machine.

Formed as a part of the vertical standard.

10 is a horizontally extending supporting structure e4; This structureis formed with a horizontal passage 4:5, along which the folded andinterleaved paper may pass from the folding rolls 28 and 29. This flooris also, partially covered by means of yieldable veying members 35 andthe ends of the spring fingers45 and 4E6. It is, of course, necessarythat the spring fingers 45 and 46 extend in alternate grooves asconsidered in relation to the conveyer belts 35. These fingers will thusstrip the paper from the rolls and obstruct its movement in such amanner asto stack the paper and to hold it in its folded position. siblefor the paper blankto be folded after having'been creased and thus willpresent them to an operator or to a suitable carriage by which they maybe removed and packed in a condition for use in dispensing containers.

By reference to Figs. 7 and 8, it will be noted that the machine isprovided with removable perforating blades 47 which have serrated faces48 and are otherwise formed with intermediate grooves 49; these groovesbeing designed to accommodate the conveying cables 35 and 36. In Fig.7it will be seen that the complementary blades of the perforating rollsl9 and 2 1 and'20 and 25 act in an overlapping manner to perforate thepaper blank, as indicated by the member 50, thus forming a continuousline of perforations across the width of the toweling as interrupted bythe space permitted by the grooves 419.

In the operation of the present invention, blank rolls of paper towelingare placed upon the magazine cylinders 17 and 18 and thereafter ledbetween the rollers 15 and 16 to pass to the perforating rolls 19 and20.- T he path of travel of the paper is indicated in Fig. 41 where itwill be seen that the paper blanks from the roll 18 will pass around theouter periphery of the roller 20 and between the conveyer belts 35. and36. By this means the conveyer belt 35 will hold the paper against theperforating rolls of the roll 20 and will combine with the belt 36 toform a channel-way within which the paper will be held as it is carriedin the direction of the folding roll. At the same time the paper blanksfrom the roll 17 will be led upwardly and around the perforating roll19, thereafter to pass between the conveying belts 35 and 36 to theupper folding roll;

\Vhile the blanks are passing between the perforating rolls the blade a7carried by these rolls will come into overlapping relation, as indicatedin Fig. 7, and willact to This makes it'posi The yieldable fingersperforate the blank throughout its width. Due to the fact that theperforating rolls are in synchronism, blades will always hear the samerelation to each other and the towel blanks will be perforated at equalpredetermined intervals throughout their length. As the paper blankspass from the perforating roll and to the folding roll they will bedrawn between the folding rolls, and, as indicated in Fig. 4, will befolded between the various teeth of the rolls 28 and 29 during thecourse of their rotation. The position of the folding rolls, in relationto the perforating rolls, is such that the paper blanks will be foldedalong their perforations and midway therebetween and that the separateblanks, represented by the upper and lower rolls l7 and 18, will beperforated so that the perforations will be in folded relation to eachother when the two blanks are interfolded.

By referring to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the perforations of theblanks of the rolls 17, as indicated at A, will be at the lower creaseof their folds, while the perforation of the blank from the roll 18, asindicated at B, will be in the upper crease of the fold, thusalternately disposing the perforations in relation to each other uponthe separate blanks and making it possible for one piece of towel to bedrawn from the dispensing machine and automatically exposing the end ofthe next succeeding piece, although not completely withdrawing it fromthe container.

It will be evident that this machine may be used for clipping paper andinterleaving paper of various widths without in the least modifying thespirit of the present invention and that the device here shown willeliminate the use of objectionable and unreliable machines using areciprocal movement and insuring that a continuous operation ofperforating and interfolding will be produced by rotary element.

While I have here shown the preferred form of my invention as nowknownto me, it will be understood that various changes in the combination,construction and ar rangement of parts may be made by those skilled inthe art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent is 1. In an interfolding machine, a pair of toothedfolding rollers mating with each other, conveyer means for carryingflexible blanks to said rollers, and yieldable members adapted toseparate the blank from the rollers and to stack the paper foldedthereby.

2. In an interfolding machine, a pair of rotary folding rolls, two pairsof perforating rolls, conveyer elements for each folding roll engagedabout the latter and about one perforating roll of each pair of thelatter and other conveyer elements engaged about the same perforatingroll of each pair of the latter and cooperating with the first namedconveyer elements.

3. In an interfolding machine, a pair of rotary folding rolls, two pairsof perforating rolls, conveyer elements for each folding roll engagedabout the latter and about one perforating roll of each pair of thelatter and other conveyer elements engaged about the same perforatingroll of each pair of the latter and cooperating with the first namedconveyer elements, said other conveyer elements being disposed betweenthe inner flights of the first named conveyer elements and having innerterminals disposed adjacent the folding rolls.

i. In an interfolding machine, a pair of rotary folding rolls, anendless conveyer member connected to each of the rolls, a pair ofperforating rolls associated with each conveyer member and having therolls arranged respectively on opposite sides of a flight of the memberand a pair of endless conveyers trained respectively around one of eachof the rolls of the perforating rolls and cooperating with therespective first named conveyer members.

5. In an interfolding-machine, a pair of rotary folding rolls, two pairsof perforating rolls, and two pairs of endless conveyers, the twoconveyers of each pair cooperating with each other and with the foldingand perforating rolls.

6. In an interfolding machine,a pair of folding rolls, a pair ofperforating rolls for each folding roll and a pair of endless conveyersfor each folding roll and the pair of perforating rolls thereof.

7. In an interfolding machine, a pair of folding rolls, a pair of innerspaced perforating rolls substantially alined therewith, an outerperforating roll cooperating -with each inner perforating roll, and twopairs of endless conveyers cooperating with the respective folding rollsand with the perforating rolls and with each other.

8. In an interfolding machine, a pair of folding rolls, a pair of innerspaced perforating rolls substantially alined therewith,

. an outer perforating roll cooperating with each inner perforatingroll, an endless conveyer for each folding roll encircling the adj acentouter perforating roll, an endless conveyer encircling each innerperforating roll and cooperating with the adjacent first named conveyer,the inner ends of the second conveyers terminating adjacent the foldingrolls, and the first named conveyers having parts spaced andsubstantially alined with the folding rolls.

9. In an interfolding machine, a pair of folding rolls, two pairs ofperforating rolls spaced from the folding rolls, an outer endlesseonveyer engaged around each folding my hand in the presence of twosubscribingroll and coiiperatingwvith the rolls of the Witnesses. v r 1adjacent perforating rolls, and an inner V I GEORGEH BARTLETT endlessconveyer coijperating with the first V 5 named conveyer and with therespective Witnesses:

other perforating rolls. JOHN H. Hnmzme, In testimony whereof I havehereunto set NV. WV. HEALEY.

